How many contracts have you done where...

[jmo21]

I've never had any kind of stand up argument with someone in an office.

I've had keenly debated conversations that's for sure, but nothing like the OP and others have described.

Life is way too short.

I'll do my best for a contract I'm trying to deliver, if I see issues, I'll raise them. If these are ignored, I will try again, but after a couple of attempts I will stop.

[kaiser78]

I have put a couple of noses out of joint in current contract due to various suppliers being totally amateurish and me trying to get them to do things properly, which is in my nature and really cheeses me off when they don't.

[darrenb]

}catch(err){
// do nothing
} finally{
invoice()
}

FTFY

[darrenb]

In my experience - admittedly shaped by probably too many Banking clients - if you take the approach of "I'll just sit here quietly and invoice" then you simply make things worse for yourself. If you don't confront problems head-on, and early, then you just leave yourself in a world of grief from a bunch of psychopaths. I've found that by confronting these people, strongly and early, they always clear off and hassle someone else for the rest of my stay on a contract. I'd much rather things didn't have to get this inflamed, but with some people it's the only approach - or at least the only approach I've found that works!

What are the disadvantages of reaching a local fitness peak? When does mutation beat adaptation?

[psychocandy]

I have put a couple of noses out of joint in current contract due to various suppliers being totally amateurish and me trying to get them to do things properly, which is in my nature and really cheeses me off when they don't.

Kaiser. OK so first off you sound like a decent fella who knows what hes doing.....

BUT, seriously, IMHO you're onto a loser every time here mate. You say you've put a few noses out of joint? Lets just hope none of these are responsible for renewals..... know what I mean. You might be right but if you've upset a permie manager who thinks hes right then you never know. Better to let the permies think they;re right and get on with it.

I agree with you though. It is annoying when people do things stupidly and its obvious to you it should be done properly. Unfortunately, having worked for a multitude of multi-nationals, in my experience, the bigger the company the worse they are.

Dont get me wrong - you're paid for your technical opinion or whatever. Give it but I certainly aint gonna get myself stressed or get into arguments with the client about things. There can be only one loser in this situation.

[suityou01]

[kaiser78]

Kaiser. OK so first off you sound like a decent fella who knows what hes doing.....

BUT, seriously, IMHO you're onto a loser every time here mate. You say you've put a few noses out of joint? Lets just hope none of these are responsible for renewals..... know what I mean. You might be right but if you've upset a permie manager who thinks hes right then you never know. Better to let the permies think they;re right and get on with it.

I agree with you though. It is annoying when people do things stupidly and its obvious to you it should be done properly. Unfortunately, having worked for a multitude of multi-nationals, in my experience, the bigger the company the worse they are.

Dont get me wrong - you're paid for your technical opinion or whatever. Give it but I certainly aint gonna get myself stressed or get into arguments with the client about things. There can be only one loser in this situation.

Thanks for the comments - my conscience is clear in that I have the full support of my reporting line, who are also my contract renewers, in what I am trying to do. Without their support I would definitely keep me head down and am now anyway consciously starting to step back and fitting in with the norm.

[robgibraltar]

Scope creep = contract extension in my experience.

Contractor-hating permies are laughable, only had a run in with one serious one, there are usually a few passive agressive comments from people either too timid or incompetent to go the contracting route.

All my contracts have been change and release management. The old bill of the IT world. We're used to being despised for making people do radical things like following process.

[nomadd]

We're used to being despised for making people do radical things like following process.

Worked on a contract many years ago where I was the only contractor. Management were pushing heavily for change, and I'd been brought in to implement it.

Permies despised me from day one. Constant jibes of "You'll fail... This place will never change... You'll be out on your arse inside of three months... Etc., etc." Every day was a new argument with them.

Within a year, all of those permies had been "let go." Young blood was brought in. I ended up working on three projects for the same client lasting 4.5 years in total.

Strange to deal with permies who think they are "safe for life." Guess it takes life biting them in the ass before they finally wake up.

[psychocandy]

Thanks for the comments - my conscience is clear in that I have the full support of my reporting line, who are also my contract renewers, in what I am trying to do. Without their support I would definitely keep me head down and am now anyway consciously starting to step back and fitting in with the norm.

EXACTLY mate. If possible keep the ones who renew your contract happy!!!!

Sometimes, unfortunately, not always possible because whatever you do it wont be right and you'll get the boot because you get blamed for someone else screw up. but thats contracting!